McMillon setting his own standards
Peters Township senior earns spot in Century Club
Michael Jackson’s signature song “Beat It” resonates with Darius McMillon.
As a two-sport athlete at Peters Township High School, he has followed in the footsteps of some outstanding performers, including his older brother, Donovan, and he has been determined to exceed those standards set ahead of him.
“Donovan’s probably been my biggest influence,” McMillon said. “I’ve always wanted to be like him.”
McMillon embarked on his athletic career by tagging along and watching Donovan practice, whether it was football or wrestling. Never once did the older brother tell McMillon to scram.
“There is sibling rivalry,” admitted McMillon, who also has two younger skillful brothers. Dane is a freshman and Davin is a sixth-grade middle school student. “We all like to think we will be the best but we are supportive of each other while being competitive against one another. There’s a lot of motivation there.”
While McMillon is driven to duplicate Donovan’s efforts on the gridiron, he has already beaten him on the mats.
In winning the 152-pound weight class during the TRICADA Tournament held Jan. 3-4 at West Greene High School, McMillon improved to 102-22 in his career. That is one win better than Donovan, who was a WPIAL and PIAA runner-up at 182 before heading off to a successful Division I college football career.
McMillon entered the Century Club with his 100th career win two matches prior. In the quarterfinals, he pinned Jefferson-Morgan’s Dominic Sowden in 47 seconds for the milestone victory.
“I knew going into the match it would be my 100th win because my mom reminded me,” said the 18-year-old son of Shelley and Darrin McMillon. “So I was a little nervous but went into the match as confident as I could.
“Actually, it’s a great achievement, especially since my brother did it. So it will be great seeing my name on the banner in the gym at school but ahead of Donovan’s. So in that regard it’s been a double win. Now the goal is to see how many I end up with.”
McMillon is unlikely to eclipse the record of 133 career wins set by Tyler Buckiso in 2014 but he is aiming to finish higher. Buckiso’s best showing in the regionals and at states was third and sixth respectively.
“The school record is not in my reach but I would like to continue to rack up wins in the Century Club,” McMillon said. “My ultimate goal is to end up on the podium at states and win a WPIAL title, especially since we lost one in football.”
In the fall, Peters Township dropped a 20-9 decision to Pine-Richland during the WPIAL Class 5A championship contest played Nov. 23 at Acrisure Stadium. The Indians finished 11-2 overall in 2024. They were 15-1 and WPIAL winners and PIAA state runners-up during McMillon’s junior year in 2023.
Going to states and winning the WPIAL in football, McMillon said, has been his career highlight in football. However, going to states and finishing as a WPIAL runner-up his freshman year have been the landmark achievements during his wrestling tenure.
Currently, McMillon is ranked fourth in the WPIAL in his weight classification, which is dominated by Thomas Jefferson’s Maddox Shaw. McMillon is No. 14 in the state at 152.
“I respect all the competition but I welcome wrestling anyone,” McMillon said.
McMillon is anxious to make up for lost time. He was “excited” to attain his second tournament win of the year because he was unable to participate in postseason events due to an injury. During the Ultimate Warrior Tournament in 2024, McMillon tore his MCL and damaged his PFL and meniscus. With physical therapy, he rehabbed back into condition.
“It was frustrating,” McMillon admitted. “I was always trying to get 100 wins and expected to get it last year but the injury put me behind schedule. Being able to push through that injury has helped me mentally and my toughness.”
McMillon is a force on the mats because of football. As a safety, he helped the Indians become one of the stingiest defenses in the WPIAL, allowing only 10.7 points per game. He made 33 tackles, recorded 4 TFL and one sack while forcing one fumble and recovering another. He was credited with four pass break-ups.
In addition to earning all-conference, second team honors, McMillon managed two touchdowns on offense as well as 163 yards rushing on 22 carries.
“Football helps with speed and footwork for wrestling and wrestling compliments football a lot. In football, speed and elusiveness were my strengths although I’d like to get bigger. In wrestling, speed and strength are my strongpoints but I’d like to improve my ability to score more points in a match. I’m always looking to sharpen my tools.”
McMillon puts in the extra work to achieve that objective.
In addition to his regular wrestling workouts and lifting sessions, McMillon trains at Quest School of Wrestling in Canonsburg. Owner Jim Akerly serves as his primary instructor. Akerly was a NCAA All-American at West Virginia and a former Division I head coach.
“I’m always pushing to improve. Coach Akerly has a saying ‘to get one percent better each day’ and I try to adhere to that. Sticking to it, doing the conditioning, running after practice and lifting, and getting the endurance up. That’s basically been my secret to success.
“Plus, I have had great coaches being hard on me, pushing me to get wins and records. And there’s always going to practice when you don’t want to and doing things you don’t want to. That makes you successful. You have to keep grinding and never give up no matter what difficulties you face out there.”
While he has been wrestling since he was 5, McMillon intends to play football, a sport he picked up once he tipped the scales at 80 pounds as a fourth grader, in college. He has scholarship offers from Wheeling, Ithaca, Grove City, Edinboro, Concord in Virginia among others.
“Growing up I always liked wrestling but once I entered high school I loved football more.”
Yet another instance where older brother has exerted his sway. After playing two seasons at Florida, Donovan excelled the past two years in the Pitt secondary, accumulating 220 tackles. He recently declared for the 2025 NFL Draft.
“I’m hoping to be seeing him on the big stage and I’m hoping to reach that goal myself and be like him some day,” McMillon said.
“I’ve learned so much from watching him, picked up a lot of his aggressiveness. My aspiration, a dream of mine, is to play in the NFL, too. It’s going to take working really hard. A grind every day,” he added. “I just want to be the best I can be.”
Darius McMillon Bio Box
Age: 18
Birthday: April 26
Parents: Darrin and Shelley
Siblings: Donovan, Dane, Davin
Sports: Football, wrestling
GPA: 3.6
Career goals: Play football in college and major in communications.
Color: Green
Food: Buffalo wings
Restaurant: Outback Steakhouse
Movie: Remember the Titans
Song: Beat It
Musical artist: Michael Jackson. “My dad always listens to him. I can’t really dance like him but I try.”
Athlete: Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey
Dream destination: Hawaii
People might be surprised to know this about you: My aunt (Joi McMillon) worked on editing the movie Mufasa: The Lion King. She works in LA and I’ve been out to visit her. What she does for a living appeals to me. So I’m thinking about going into the editing and media aspect of that profession.
Person with whom you would like to have dinner: My grandma. Gloria McMillon. She’s my dad’s mom. I never met her because she died in 2003.
Lesson sports taught you: How to keep grinding and maintain a competitive edge. Don’t give up when you face difficulties. Those will keep you going in life.